Debate | McLaren's team orders decided Australian Grand Prix
General
Lando Norris was a deserved winner of a very complicated Grand Prix, however, his success at one point was under threat by McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri. At this pivotal point in the race, the papaya team issued team orders to stop an impending fight for the lead between their both drivers, a decision that decided the race in Norris' favour.
Although Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen seemed to be the sole contender to McLaren's win at the start of the race, after the first quarter of the Australian Grand Prix, it became clear that the RB21's tyre management capabilities were not up to par with the MCL39's, with the Dutchman falling behind both papaya drivers by 16 seconds.
McLaren's "let them race" philosophy goes out the window
It was at this point that local hero, Oscar Piastri, emerged as a potential challenger to Norris' eventual win. Showing remarkable pace, the Australian began edging into his teammate's lead, eventually getting within DRS range of Norris, threatening the Briton's lead.
As Piastri drew ever-near to Norris, McLaren's "let them race" philosophy went out the window, as they issued team orders advising their recently renewed talent to hold position, killing the Australian's momentum and effectively deciding, not only the potential race result, but also revealing who their chosen challenger for the 2025 Drivers' title is, in both cases, the answer would be: Lando Norris.
After Piastri had fallen back to 2,7 seconds behind his teammate, McLaren overturned the team orders and told the Australian that the "free to race" philosophy had been reinstated. Bu by them the damage to the driver of their #81 car had already been done.
Did McLaren's team orders impact the race result, and did they effectively revealed who their contender for the Drivers' title will be in the 2025 season? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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